Everything changed ...
The day that ...35 total reviews
Comment from Bill Schott
This story, Everything Changed, is one that resonates with all of us who used to play freely and anywhere. The sixties certainly put a halt to most of that, although I still see many kids, too young to be on their own, playing far from home.
reply by the author on 03-Jun-2022
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This story, Everything Changed, is one that resonates with all of us who used to play freely and anywhere. The sixties certainly put a halt to most of that, although I still see many kids, too young to be on their own, playing far from home.
Comment Written 03-Jun-2022
reply by the author on 03-Jun-2022
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Thanks Bill. I appreciate your review and thoughts.
Wendy
Comment from Gypsy Blue Rose
Hello, Wendy,
It's going to be hard to beat your story in the voting booth, I know you got my vote. It's an amazing story, so well written and true. In America we call it "stranger danger" children are taught to stay away from strangers but we still have a lot of crime. In the 50s, 60s, and 70s, kids were allowed to wander for all day and nothing went wrong. Crime is awful for all ages but even more for children.
I like how you changed font colors to tell each part of the story. Your story flows nicely and you grabbed my attention from beginning till end.
Excellent entry for the ... Outing writing prompt... Good luck in the contest!!!
Gypsy
"Poetry heals the wounds inflicted by reason." - Novalis
reply by the author on 03-Jun-2022
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Hello, Wendy,
It's going to be hard to beat your story in the voting booth, I know you got my vote. It's an amazing story, so well written and true. In America we call it "stranger danger" children are taught to stay away from strangers but we still have a lot of crime. In the 50s, 60s, and 70s, kids were allowed to wander for all day and nothing went wrong. Crime is awful for all ages but even more for children.
I like how you changed font colors to tell each part of the story. Your story flows nicely and you grabbed my attention from beginning till end.
Excellent entry for the ... Outing writing prompt... Good luck in the contest!!!
Gypsy
"Poetry heals the wounds inflicted by reason." - Novalis
Comment Written 03-Jun-2022
reply by the author on 03-Jun-2022
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Thank you Gypsy for your fine review, and also for the Exceptional rating and six stars. All are greatly appreciated! So are your good wishes (and I thank you for your vote too!)
Wendy
Comment from Annmuma
I love the picture and the story brought tears to my eyes. Isn't strange how story such as this stays firmly placed in one's memory -- because, as you said, life changed that. Children became aware of evil and a place for fear was made. That fear--and the evil - is something we must fight against every day. Good post and I'm betting it does well in the contest. I have not yet read all of the entries, but it is difficult to imagine one more touching that yours. ann
reply by the author on 03-Jun-2022
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I love the picture and the story brought tears to my eyes. Isn't strange how story such as this stays firmly placed in one's memory -- because, as you said, life changed that. Children became aware of evil and a place for fear was made. That fear--and the evil - is something we must fight against every day. Good post and I'm betting it does well in the contest. I have not yet read all of the entries, but it is difficult to imagine one more touching that yours. ann
Comment Written 03-Jun-2022
reply by the author on 03-Jun-2022
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Thank you Ann. A love review, also very encouraging. You are right. There was a new sense of evil and fear, an awareness in the background of everyday life. Thanks again.
Wendy
Comment from Dolly'sPoems
What a very sad incident and I knew when I started reading your post that it was going to end in tragedy. Were they abducted? Did they fall into the water? It sounds like it could have been a tragic accident. I never like stories of disappearances that are unresolved and the parents would have had a terrible life after this, I can't imagine the pain they suffered, love Dolly x
reply by the author on 03-Jun-2022
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What a very sad incident and I knew when I started reading your post that it was going to end in tragedy. Were they abducted? Did they fall into the water? It sounds like it could have been a tragic accident. I never like stories of disappearances that are unresolved and the parents would have had a terrible life after this, I can't imagine the pain they suffered, love Dolly x
Comment Written 03-Jun-2022
reply by the author on 03-Jun-2022
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It seems sure that they were abducted (drowning was ruled out for a number of reasons), and the crime has never been solved. Thank you so much for your thoughtful and caring review.
Wendy
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It seems odd that all three children were taken, it is such a sad story Wendy x x x
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The theory is that he had groomed them on their previous visits to the beach and so they were not frightened of their ?friend?.
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And he was never caught?
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Never caught to this day. No bodies ever found. They vanished completely. Such a strange case.
Comment from lyenochka
That's so sad. It's those kinds of events that changed the way we parented ever sense. We have become so protective of our kids that we feared letting them outside beyond visual range. I liked how you compared a normal family dinner preparation time to that sudden change of that family of kidnapped children. Best wishes in the contest!
reply by the author on 03-Jun-2022
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That's so sad. It's those kinds of events that changed the way we parented ever sense. We have become so protective of our kids that we feared letting them outside beyond visual range. I liked how you compared a normal family dinner preparation time to that sudden change of that family of kidnapped children. Best wishes in the contest!
Comment Written 02-Jun-2022
reply by the author on 03-Jun-2022
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Thanks so much Helen. Such an event had previously been unheard of over here, although unfortunately we've had a few cases since. It's a horror nightmare for everybody. Many thanks for reviewing and for your good wishes.
Wendy
Comment from Paul McFarland
A very sad story. Even with all that has happened, these abductions are still going on. You have told this well, and it should be read by everybody.
reply by the author on 02-Jun-2022
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A very sad story. Even with all that has happened, these abductions are still going on. You have told this well, and it should be read by everybody.
Comment Written 02-Jun-2022
reply by the author on 02-Jun-2022
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Thank you Paul. It was a national turning point where we lost something very precious and became aware in a new way of evil.
I appreciate your review, thanks again.
Wendy
Comment from LJbutterfly
This is a stunning story that begins with four happy children meeting a fifth child and enjoying a day on the waterfront. I smiled as I envisioned the fun they probably had. However, this story took a dark turn that changed lives forever. The story is told in an interesting way that holds the reader's attention through to the unfortunate ending. Best wishes in the contest.
reply by the author on 02-Jun-2022
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This is a stunning story that begins with four happy children meeting a fifth child and enjoying a day on the waterfront. I smiled as I envisioned the fun they probably had. However, this story took a dark turn that changed lives forever. The story is told in an interesting way that holds the reader's attention through to the unfortunate ending. Best wishes in the contest.
Comment Written 02-Jun-2022
reply by the author on 02-Jun-2022
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Thank you very much. You are right. It was a dark turn indeed, and the first such abduction in Australia. A few since, and all are horrific. Thanks too for your good wishes.
Wendy
Comment from mermaids
This is a well written account of that day. Love the duty of "shelling peas", has a normal comforting feel to it. It is such a horrible thing to have children missing and never knowing what happened. It happens all over the world and is such a sad thing.
reply by the author on 02-Jun-2022
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This is a well written account of that day. Love the duty of "shelling peas", has a normal comforting feel to it. It is such a horrible thing to have children missing and never knowing what happened. It happens all over the world and is such a sad thing.
Comment Written 02-Jun-2022
reply by the author on 02-Jun-2022
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Thank you very much for reviewing. Yes it does happen everywhere, unfortunately, but at that time in Australia it was unheard of. We have had a few since, and it?s always horrific. Wendy
Comment from joann r romei
As soon as I read it, I thought, children unattended are always a danger, they were probably kidnapped and taken to another country, what a terrible tradgedy.
reply by the author on 02-Jun-2022
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As soon as I read it, I thought, children unattended are always a danger, they were probably kidnapped and taken to another country, what a terrible tradgedy.
Comment Written 02-Jun-2022
reply by the author on 02-Jun-2022
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Thank you so much for reviewing. The case remains unsolved to this day, sadly.
Wendy
Comment from JoannaN
This is a gripping, well-written story. I had a similar story from my young years. As a young teen, I was nearly abducted from the street (in a middle of the day, I was only walking home from school). I managed to get free and escape. Some time later, a girl about my age vanished, she was seen near the place when I was assaulted. She is still missing :(
reply by the author on 02-Jun-2022
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This is a gripping, well-written story. I had a similar story from my young years. As a young teen, I was nearly abducted from the street (in a middle of the day, I was only walking home from school). I managed to get free and escape. Some time later, a girl about my age vanished, she was seen near the place when I was assaulted. She is still missing :(
Comment Written 02-Jun-2022
reply by the author on 02-Jun-2022
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Oh how horrific! Another terrible story. It?s a lifetime of grief for all concerned. Thank you so much Joanna for reviewing, much appreciated.
Wendy
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Exactly. I wish you a good, safe, pleasant weekend.
